“Tristan” – The John H Watson Society

3 September, 2014

Treasure Hunt Honours

The Second Annual John H Watson World Invitational Canonical Treasure Hunt was held during the entire month of August, 2014. Individuals from the Society and non-members competed and, for the first time, Teams from France, Italy, and the US took part in the Treasure Hunt.

Team Category

The Team category High Honours this year went to Team SOB of Seattle’s Sound of the Baskervilles comprised of Melissa Anderson JHWS “Faith,” Margie Deck JHWS “Gwen,” Sheila Holtgrieve JHWS “Daisy,” and Ariana Maher JHWS “Carla.” This team were first in with 100% correct answers; in fact, they developed numerous additional answers to the questions which were equally correct to the original solutions. Team SOB has members Margie Deck and Sheila Holtgrieve who achieved High Honours in last year’s Treasure Hunt. Ariana Maher and Melissa Anderson added talents in both Canonical knowledge and research to this year’s competition. It is reported by the Team that they invested nearly 400 hours collectively in finding the solution to the Hunt. Well Done, Seattle Sound of the Baskervilles!

Team Uno Studio in Holmes from Italy achieved Honours and was comprised of Michelle Lopez, JHWS “Reggie,” Stefano Guerra, JHWS “Lucus,” Enrico Solito JHWS “Devon,” Alessandra Calanchi, JHWS “Bianca,” Roberto Vianello, Gabriele Mazzoni, and Ambrose Scott.

Team La Fayette of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France comprised of Alexis Barquin JHWS “Olivier,” and Thierry Saint-Joanis JHWS “Tristan” achieved Honours.

Individual Category

The Individual category High Honours went to Denny Dobry “JHWS “Kirby” of Reading, Pennsylvania who successfully repeated his 2013 High Honours. Denny also found numerous additional answers to the questions and reached the solution after many hours of tenacity and superb work. Well Done, “Kirby.”

Other participants gave it a great effort but were unable to complete the grueling 150 question romp through the Canon.

Congratulations to All

We congratulate all who were successful and all who participated. Both the Individual and Team High Honours will be presented with attractive commemorative awards.

The announcement of the 2015 Third Annual World Invitational Treasure Hunt has been posted on the Treasure Hunt page of the website. The Game is Afoot!

11 September, 2013

Warm Welcome to New Charter Members from France and La Société Sherlock Holmes de France

The Society welcomes two distinguished Sherlockians of France to Membership:

Thierry Saint-Joanis, JHWS “Tristan”

The Society extends a warm welcome to M. Saint-Joanis, who is the president of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France. He is a member of the French Society team that won the Open International Competition of the First Annual John H. Watson Canonical Treasure Hunt.

M. Saint-Joanis’s biography:

SSHF co-founder and president since 1993. Manager of the Mycroft’s Brother editions company. Born 1960 in Thiers (near Clermont-Ferrand), France. Has been Sherlock Holmes addict since his university days studying History.

Journalist for several French newspapers and teacher at the French School of Journalism in Paris (Specialist of Investigation).

In 1988, he met Jean-Pierre Cagnat who opened to him the gates of the Holmesian World. In 1992, Thierry and Jean-Pierre Cagnat met Alexis Barquin and Yves-Charles Fercoq and decided to create a new Holmesian society which will keep green the memory of the great detective. In 1993, The Société Sherlock Holmes de France (SSHF) was born.

In February 1997, with Alexis Barquin and Pierre Bannier, author of Sherlock Holmes, a Practical Guide of the Holmesian World (in French).

In September 1997, founder of the Sherlock Holmes Worldwide Congress of the Holmesian societies In January 1998, invested irregular at the Baker Street Irregulars of New York as “Monsieur Bertillon.”

In January 2001, as editor, published It Is Always A Joy… by Jean-Pierre Cagnat.

Personal website: http://www.mycrofts.net

Member of the following societies:

» La Société Sherlock Holmes de France (Mycroft Holmes)
» The Sherlock Holmes Society of London
» Uno Studio in Holmes
» The Jeremy Brett Society of France
» The Amateur Mendicant Society (Huret)
» The Baker Street Irregulars (M. Bertillon)
» Société d’études holmésiennes de la Suisse romande
» Deutsche Sherlock Holmes Gesellschaft
» H.O.L.M.E.S.
» The Elusive Bicyclists (L. Armstrong)
» Le Club des Hydropathes holmésiens (Founder)
» The Beacon Society
» La Lega dei Presidenti (France)
» SSHF For Holmes (Admin)
» The Master’s Masons
» The Sign of Fort d’Agra (Deerstalker 1)
» La seconde tache
» Les Amis du Musée SSHF
» Le peloton des cyclistes solitaires
» The Pissing Three Quarter

Thierry also has an astounding, full scale reproduction of the sitting rooms at 221B Baker Street created within his home. The website displaying photos of the rooms is: http://www.sherlock-holmes.fr/murder-party/2-a-visit.htm. A visit to this website is a must!

Please join in a warm welcome to Thierry Saint-Joanis and extend our Society’s traditional greeting: “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

Alexis Barquin, JHWS “Olivier”

The Society welcomes warmly M. Alexis Barquin, the co-member in the Treasure Hunt for Team France of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France. M. Barquin is also co-founder and Secretary of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France and is instrumental in the management of the priceless Sherlockian resource, Sherlockian Who’s Who.

Alexis Barquin’s biography is:

SSHF co-founder and secretary since 1993. SSHF Webmaster since 1996.

Born 1968 in Paris, France. Has been holmesian since his university days studying chemistry.

He joined the Société des Amis d’Henri Fournaye in 1991, and was an active member of La Lettre de Baker Street managed by Jean-Marc Faure. In 1992, La Société des Amis d’Henri Fournaye closed. One year later, La Lettre de Baker Street was closed too.

Alexis met Thierry Saint-Joanis and decided to create a new Holmesian society which will keep green the memory of the great detective. In 1993, La Société Sherlock Holmes de France (SSHF) was born.

Since, Alexis Barquin has created the SSHF website which is the best Holmesian ressource in french on the web; and http://www.sh-whoswho.com.

Personal website: http://www.sshf.com

Member of the following societies

» La Société Sherlock Holmes de France (John M. Watson)
» The Hounds of the Internet
» The Beacon Society
» H.O.L.M.E.S.
» SSHF For Holmes (Admin)
» La seconde tache
» Sherlock Holmes Club of Latin America
» Le peloton des cyclistes solitaires
» The Pissing Three Quarter

Please welcome M. Alexis Barquin and extend the warm greeting of the Society:

“You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.”

9 September, 2013

The Open International Competition of the Treasure Hunt Won by the Team from France!

The Society is pleased to announce the winners of the Open International Competition of the First Annual John H. Watson Canonical Treasure Hunt:

Team France of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France.

Their team consisted of M. Thierry Saint-Joanis and M. Alexis Barquin, who are both leaders of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France and maintain the very valuable website Sherlockian Who’s Who found at the following web address:
http://www.sh-whoswho.com/index.php

This skilled and knowledgeable team answered an amazing number of the 100 difficult questions, and did so without the use of the edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes specified in the Treasure Hunt and to which all page number references were keyed. Essentially, they were working from memory. Formidable!

Congratulations to the first International Team winners!

The Answer Key to the First Canonical Treasure Hunt has now been posted on the Treasure Hunt Page.